Dear Editor,

After living in Jamaica for most of my life, on only one occasion was I able to say something complimentary about the police. I suppose because I have been exposed to police officers in other jurisdictions, I have never accepted boorishness, crassness and belligerence as part and parcel of the thrust to “serve and protect”.

The exception to which I refer happened last year when I went to the Papine Police Station to report the death of a friend and was bowled over by the professionalism and politeness of the two cops on duty. So shocked was I that I felt forced to comment on it publicly several times. However, my latest encounter with two policemen on Ash Wednesday at 6.45 am poignantly reminded me why I can never like, respect or trust those so-called officers of the law.

I had picked up a young man in Barbican Square and was going up Barbican Road when I saw a patrol car which I had glimpsed earlier on the other side of the road with its lights flashing. An officer made a gesture to me but I did not respond as I couldn’t believe that it was me they were trying to stop as I had done nothing wrong. The car then came up behind me and the siren blared so I stopped. Within seconds, a policeman was at the passenger window shouting to the young man beside me, “Why yuh move from behind the steering wheel when yuh si wi?” It was with total astonishment that I asked him what he was talking about. He then shouted that he had seen me change places with the passenger and wanted to know why! Shocked, we both denied that any such thing took place. When he turned to his colleague for him to confirm that what he was charging was true, I did detect that the other policeman was a bit reluctant before agreeing with him.

Realising that I could be in a precarious position, I immediately took out my phone and started to dial. That seemed to incense him even more as he shouted that I could always call the commissioner as he couldn’t do anything about it. Calmly, I told him hat I was calling my attorney for this was a serious matter. Hearing this, he calmed down slightly and mumbled that every time some people get stopped by the officer of the law “dem want bring lawyer into it”. He then told me to produce my licence and I did.

He looked at the licence and as quickly as his surprise attack had been, so was his departure, at which point I wrote down the licence number of the vehicle. I spent the next few minutes trying to figure out what had just happened. Had this been some attempt at a shakedown? Anyway, this has never worked with me as I would rather rot in jail than bribe a cop!

I concluded that we must have just had an encounter with a heavily armed drunkard, madman or a coke head. Now that is really frightening, for I am not aware that the police force does any random testing on these heavily armed people whom they send out daily to interact with the public. I suppose they simply dismiss the almost daily complaints by abused members of the public and the friends and relatives of those who they claim are killed or shot by the police after attacking them with anything from a gun to a toothpick.

To the public I say, beware when stopped by any member of this organisation.

Joan Williams

greatestj@hotmail.com